Feels Like Home
by MissZatanna
Summary: "Zatanna has always had a thing for the night sky. It must come from her magic; she's always felt so much stronger and more powerful after sundown. She also guesses it comes from her dad."


**AN: Hi everyone. I was watching the Lion King one night and I got major Zatanna/Zatara feels during the scene when Mufasa is talking about the stars to Simba. *cries uncontrollably* Also I only realized Young Justice season 3 came out already like now and it's giving me all the feels. Just a note, the italic descriptions and dialogue are flashbacks.**

Zatanna has always had a thing for the night sky. It must come from her magic; she's always felt so much stronger and more powerful after sundown. She also guesses it comes from her dad. Every year they would take a trip to the mountains where the city lights faded into the horizon behind them and the air didn't feel so bogged down with sleepless nights and heroic risks. She wishes she could be there now.

It's been years since she lost her father to Dr. Fate. And even though she knows he's not really _gone _(and she will never admit this to anyone), she sometimes almost wishes he was. Because even the pain of never seeing him again would feel better than this; being so close but never able to reach him. It feels like trying to catch smoke with your bare hands and being hit with an eighteen-wheeler when you can't.

Zatanna's not sure why, either, but this year's visit hit her harder than any before. She thought it would get easier with each passing year, but she's only now realizing that each visit is a summit more difficult than the last. He looked older. Too old. She knows it's impossible, but she idly wonders if time is faster inside the helmet than the real world. Obviously, it wouldn't make any sense—but then again, this is _magic_ and since when does it care about logistics? His white hair and faded green eyes told a tale of exhaustion years beyond his age. She wonders how he's survived in the helmet this long.

_"One hour. Just like last year, and the year before that, and the year before that." _

One hour. How could one hour sum up a whole year of her life? Of his? She should be grateful that Nabu granted them that time together; her father reminds her every year. But that doesn't mean she hates it—_him_—any less.

_"I miss you."_ _The swing creaked as she pushed herself back and forth with her heels._

_"I' miss you too." His voice sounded weary, the tone of a man who'd been fighting for too long. "I'm always here."_

_Zatanna kept silent. He wasn't there, not really. Not since that day she put on the helmet. Not since the day she ruined _everything.

_Her father's eyes softened and he looked up at the sky. "Do you remember our trips when you were younger? We would sit outside under the night sky and it was like you could see every star in existence. We watched them be born and burn out all at once." _

She thinks about the stars one day after a particularly hard mission. It wasn't Justice League business; more of a local emergency she happened to be near. A gas leak had caused an apartment building to explode on the few top floors, flooding the street with people escaping the smoke. Zatanna barely saved the last person—a little girl—out of the inferno before it was too late. Both of them were coughing up lungs by the time she was able to levitate them down to the street. And while she could hear the cheers in the background and "thank you"s directed her way, her eyes were locked on that last little girl and her father, holding each other like they were the only ones in the world. Zatanna knows she needs a break.

Without thinking about it, she books a train to the mountains in upstate New York along with a small cabin to stay in. The Justice League won't need her for one weekend—if they do, she'll just ask Dick to fill in for her. He owes her a favor. She makes it to her destination around sundown. The pink and purple skies remind her of cotton candy and the Happy Harbor fair coming up in a few weeks. She makes a note to herself to ask Artemis to join her. After setting down her things, she packs a blanket into her purse and heads out the door.

_He turned to his daughter and cupped her cheek, ready to wipe away any tears that could form. "My skies were dark for so long. But you, Zatanna, when you were born, I knew my night sky would be full."_

_Hot tears streamed down her face and her teeth clenched to keep from screaming out. "I'm sorry. I'm so sorry. This is all my fault._ Everything—_"_

She travels to the spot she knew so well as a child and lays the blanket out flat, taking a seat on it and laying back against the soft bed of grass. Without the light pollution of the city, she swears she can see the beginning of time in the sky.

_Zatara shifted to kneel in front of her, bringing her down next to him. How could one hour be long enough to hold her in his embrace when he never wanted to let go? He held her for a moment, letting her get it all out before lifting her chin up to look at him. "As long as those stars shine bright, Zatanna, I will _always_ be with you."_

"Hi, Daddy."

The stars twinkle back at her and she counts the 140 days since she's last seen him and the 216 more until the next.


End file.
